I'm in love with the boy i hate
by shattered-picture-frame
Summary: AU: Bella’s always lived in Forks with Charlie and her sister. 5 new kids join the school & are all human. Bella seems to like Edward but he becomes popular fast & she can't tolerate him.She falls for Jasper but does he truly hold her heart? JxB EdxB. R
1. Chapter 1

**(Disclaimer- I don't own twilight, new moon, or any of their characters. Stephenie meyer does. However, I do own the characters that I have added in this story)**

**(A/N: I needed a break from my other stories, and I randomly came up with this. PLEASE REVIEW!)**

**(oh, and I reposted this chapter. I found errors in it, so I wanted to smooth them out. I hope I got them all)**

I pulled into the parking lot to see that the small school was already flourishing with teenagers. Most of them were gathered on benches in the small courtyard or gathered around cars in the parking lot. I maneuvered my dark blue car carefully, to avoid any chance of hitting a stray student who had decided to venture off into the middle of the lot. I pulled my car next to one that I didn't recognize and definitely didn't fit the usual Fork's-used-car-reputation.

I sat in my car, pondering about this new car. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a light taping on my window.

"Hellooo?" I looked up to see Mike Newton trying to get my attention. I took my eyes from the shiny silver Volvo and rolled down my window.

"Hey Mike." Mike and I had been friends since second grade. We had been in each other's classes and made fast friends. He was a good friend, but when freshman year came, he asked me out. We went out for a couple of weeks before I decided that we were better off as friends. He seemed to accept it, but Jessica always told me that he still liked me.

Mike smiled and I noticed he had lost most of his baby-like roundness over the summer. He was actually really cute. "What were you staring at? You looked kind of confused."

I could feel that I was blushing. "Oh, umm. I was just wondering whose car that was." I nodded my head in the direction of the new car.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" I shook my head, and my brows furrowed in confusion and curiosity. "We have new students. Five of them. They're all brothers and sisters."

"Oh." Was all I said. I wasn't much of a gossiper, so I hoped that this was the end of the conversation.

"Yeah, two of them are juniors, like us. The other three are seniors." Unlike me, Mike is a gossiper. In fact, all of the "populars" are. Let's see. There is Lauren Mallory, the queen bee. Whatever she says goes. Her right hand girl, is Jessica Stanley. You would think that Jess would be queen, because she is possibly the most gossip-crazy person I have ever met. Lauren probably uses her to get information instead of finding it out herself. Lauren's left hand girl, is no other than Cassie Parker. She was a hothead. I have never gotten on her bad side, and don't plan to. And of course, each of them had their own special club of wannabe's. There was Kelsey Swayer admirer of Lauren. She would jump off of a cliff if Lauren said that it was cool. Then there's Carrie Marshall, who was the worshipper of Jessica. She believes anything and everything that comes out of Jessica's mouth. Even when Jessica stole Kevin from Carrie, she still kissed the ground she walked on. Last, and definitely least would be Maria Johnson. She had a reputation for sleeping with every guy she's every met. She wasn't as attached to Cassie as Kelsey and Carrie were to Lauren and Jessica. I forgot to mention that all of them are gorgeous, rich, and total snobs.

Then there are the guys, and they aren't as neatly organized as the girls. Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton are both the stereotypical high school jocks, and both of them fought to be king. They hung out all the time, claiming to be best buddies, but in truth, they were worst enemies. Underneath their fake-friendship, and faux-cheeriness, was a competitiveness like no other. They both hung out with the same crowd – more "populars." Beneath Mike and Tyler on the popular chart would be Alex Patterson, Kevin Smith, Luke Travers, and Harrison Brett. And as should be expected they were all gorgeous, rich, athletic and players.

I, Bella Swan, well I am just me. My best friend is Angela Webber, and we've been friends longer than Mike and I. Angela was shy, like me, and I think that's why we are so close. I have my own little group. It consists of Angela, myself, my sister Jennifer, Ben Cheney (who could be a popular if he wanted to) and John Hughes. Angela and Ben are going out, and Ben is into sports like a typical popular, but he doesn't act like a typical popular. John is really smart, but not in a geeky way. Jennifer is a senior, but we have the same lunch so we sit together and hang out. She's really pretty, and if it weren't for me she would probably be a popular. She wouldn't be the classic popular though, because our parents aren't loaded with cash. Actually, our parent. My mom died when I was young, and Charlie's been raising us on his own. I don't know how he does it, a small-town police officer (even if he is chief) doesn't have that great of a salary. Of course, Jenn and I both help out. We both work at the Newton sports store, but that doesn't pay much either.

"Oh." I said again to Mike, who was still standing outside my car, preventing me from getting out.

I looked around and noticed that most of the school's population had made their way inside. I grabbed the door handle so that it made a small clicking noise, letting Mike know that I was about to open the door. He moved out of the way, and I rolled up the window before stepping out. It wasn't raining yet, but I had been living in Forks my entire life, and I knew it would rain soon.

I didn't bother locking the doors to my car. It was a 1997 Dodge Avenger, and even though I kept it in good shape, no one would bother stealing it.

Mike lead the way into the school and I couldn't help but wonder why he had ever dated me. I wasn't fascinating, or pretty, or _popular. _ What had he seen in me? I'm basically Jane Doe – brown eyes, brown hair, average height; nothing special about me at all. What had he seen in me?

We entered the auditorium together for the beginning of the year ceremony. The entire population of the school could fit in the auditorium, showing how scarce people there are in Forks. Mike grabbed my hand, trying to lead me to sit with his group of populars, but I slid my hand out of his. He looked hurt and confused, trying to figure out why I wouldn't sit with him. I smiled, to let him know that I wasn't mad at him or anything, and made started walking towards where Angela and all of my friends were seated.

"Hey." Angela smiled at me while I took the seat beside her. Jennifer was on my other side while John and Ben sat behind us.

"Hey guys." I said, and Angela, Jenn and I turned to face the guys. We all talked about our summers, and what we had done. Well, we talked about what we had done when we weren't hanging out with each other. After about ten minutes of talking I heard the principal "Ahem," into the microphone to get our attention. We turned around to face the front of the auditorium where the Mr. Warston was standing on the stage with the microphone in hand. Ms. Lausito **(Law-sit-oh)**, the vice principal, was standing beside him. I personally didn't see the point in having a vice principal for such a small school.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. I hope you all had a fun and safe summer…" I droned out the rest of the beginning-of-the-year speech. It was the same every year, even back in junior-high.

I sat in my seat, willing the speech to end soon. I looked down at my hands the majority of the time, rememorizing my schedule, and where the classes were. Then something caught my attention. The familiar buzz of Mr. Warston took on a more enthusiastic tone. I looked up to see five unrecognizable students standing beside the two principals. I was sitting in the middle of the auditorium, close enough to get a good look at all of them. Each one of them was gorgeous.

"This year, we have five new students attending this lovely school." Only in a town this small would the principal announce the arrival of new students. "There is Edward and Alice." He motioned to two of them. Edward had the most strange and beautiful bronze hair I have ever seen. He was tall, and I'm not sure but I think his eyes were green. The girl beside him, Alice, was very short and had spiky black hair. "Who are juniors this year. Then there is Jasper, Emmet, and Rosalie," he gestured at the other three. I wasn't sure which was Emmett and which was Jasper, but one of them was bulky, and looked like a professional body builder. The other had honey-blonde hair and looked peaceful. Rosalie, I don't even know how to put her into words. She was the most shockingly pretty person I have ever seen. She had a body that any girl would kill for, was tanned to perfection, and had hair that matched the golden color of the peaceful-looking boy. "who are all seniors. I know that you will all be hospitable and help them find their way. Would anyone like to volunteer to show them around?"

All of the male senior's hands shot up first, wanting to escort Rosalie around. Shortly after their hands were up, everyone else's were up too, with the minor exclusion of myself and Angela. Mr. Warston looked dumb-founded, not sure who to chose.

"Umm, well why don't we have those on the student council raise their hands to narrow down the selection." I frowned. I was on the student council. I wasn't really interested in planning dances or field trips, but it looked good on college applications. I unwillingly raised my hand as Mr. Warston began pairing up the seniors first.

Jennifer was on the student council too, and she had her hand raised more enthusiastically than I did. Mr. Warston was assigning the seniors with the seniors, and seemed to get the fact that everyone was looking to be paired up with the opposite gender. He put Emmett with some girl I didn't recognize, and Rosalie with the famous Logan Tathers – the hottest senior in the school.

"Jasper, why don't you go with, hmm…" He scanned the crowd, and then his eyes fell of Jenn. "Why don't you go with Jennifer."

I saw Jenn try to hide a smile, clearly pleased to have been chosen. Mr. Warston moved onto the two remaining juniors.

"Alice, you can go with Mr. Smith." He said, gesturing to Kevin. Most of the jocks and populars (which, in the guys case were the same thing) were in student council, just because of the end-of-the-trip to Mount Saint Helens.

"And Edward, why don't you go with Isabella." I frowned twice. Once because he had chosen be when I really, really didn't want to do this. Again because he had called me Isabella, even though I had made it clear that I liked to be called Bella.

I walked up to the stage like the rest of the chosen few had, to meet my new assignment. I hadn't walked into a single class yet, and I already had work to do. I think that this was a sign. Nothing good could come of this.

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen." He said formally, while holding out his hand. "You must be Isabella."

I tried to refrain from grimacing. "Bella." I corrected him glumly, and reached out my hand to shake his.

I looked into his eyes and saw that they were the most clear green eyes I've ever seen. They were the color of green garnet, they shined just like a gemstone too. They were beautiful just like him. I stood there, staring into his eyes for the longest time, until I realized what I was doing.

I flushed a deep red color, withdrawing my hand from his. I realized I had been holding his hand the entire time and if possible, I blushed an ever darker shade of crimson. I smiled shyly. "So, what's your schedule?" I asked, trying to hide my obvious embarrassment.

He unfolded a piece of paper that was in his other hand and studied it quickly. "I have Calc, Government, English, gym, lunch, Bio, and Spanish." I smiled inside. We had Government, Lunch and Biology together. Three classes with this Greek God, and none of them were gym. I made a mental note to send a letter of thanks to whoever administered our schedules.

"Okay, we have Government, lunch and Bio together." I paused to smile. "But I think I should show you your locker first. What's your number?"

He looked back down at the sheet. "One-eighty-six." I smiled inside again. Forget about thanking the administers of our schedules, I should be thanking god.

"Oh, that's only a couple down from me." Literally. My locker was one hundred-eighty-four. "Let's go." I said. I walked off the stage, out of the auditorium and into the busy hallways. He walked behind me, and I looked back constantly – worried he might get lost in the crowd. He didn't though, and we made it to our lockers quickly.

"You'll want to grab the stuff you need for your classes before lunch." I told him. Most kids carried all of their stuff around all day, but I thought it was pretty stupid. I just grabbed my stuff for my morning classes, and then dropped my stuff off in my locker right before lunch, and picked up the remaining stuff after lunch. It was just easier. "Don't worry about gym clothes for today. The coach will just be going over the rules and stuff today." He looked relieved, he probably hadn't thought to bring clothes on the first day of school.

After we gathered our notebooks I walked him to his first class. "Thanks," he said, flashing me a gorgeous lopsided smile.

"No problem. I'll wait for you when class is over and walk you to gov."

"See ya." He said, while walking into class. I made my way to my English class.

English was boring. Mr. Mason just went on about the books we would be reading, and what he expected of us. I sat next to a boy who I had known forever, but hadn't really been friends with. Harrison was in this class, but he sat nowhere near me, and I was thankful for that.

As soon as the bell rung, signaling the end of first period I rushed out of the class, and of course, fell flat on my face. I picked myself up quickly and hurried off to Edwards calculus class so I could walk him to government. I pushed my way through the mass of students and arrived at the classroom to see him leaning against the wall by the door. Beside him was Mike and Alex. Populars.

I approached him, but I didn't speak, because he and the populars were already having a conversation about some sport. They spoke before a few minutes, not acknowledging me once. When they broke apart, Edward turned to me, finally seeming to notice my presence.

"Sorry. These guys know sports. They remembered playing me at a game last year." My heart dropped. He was talking to populars, and played the same sports as populars. Sigh. I should have known someone this seemingly perfect would be a popular.

"Whatever." I said, trying not to sound too rude. I walked him to Government without saying another word.

We were almost late, arriving in class seconds before the second bell rang, signaling that all students needed to be in class. We found all of the other students pressed against the wall, and that the teacher was assigning seats. We took our place on the wall as he began calling more names.

"Eric Yorkie." Mr. Jefferson said, while pointing to his seat. "Lauren Mallory." I didn't bother watching where the teacher pointed, instead I drowned in self pity. Lauren and I weren't exactly best friends. Lauren had always had a thing for Mike, but Mike wasn't very interested in her. When Mike asked me out, all hell broke lose. I slept with my eyes open for a month.

Mr. Jefferson called out some more names until he reached mine. "Isabella Swan." He pointed to a seat near a window, which I was pleased with. But I looked around and found that Lauren sat two seats away with me. I took my seat, contemplating on how such an ostensibly perfect day had just turned into the worst day I had had in months.

After appointing a few more students their seats, Mr. Jefferson assigned Edward the seat to my left. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it all depends if Edward is a popular or not.

"Hey." Edward whispered as he sat down in his seat. His bronze hair was in a casual disarray that was absolutely mesmerizing, yet were no competition for his green tourmaline eyes.

I faked a smile, still unsure of what to make of Cullen. He was already friends with Mike and Alex, how long until he was best buds with the rest of them? How long until he was just a gorgeous, rich, athletic player?

The morning passed slowly and painfully. Somehow, the word of Edward's acceptance by Mike and Alex had spread, and he was now the new fascination. I tried not to let it bug me, but it did. All of the jocks – who had never said a word to him before – were high-fiving him like they were old friends. And the girls flirted with him, offering him their phone numbers. He was Mr. Popular indeed. Even Lauren seemed to take a liking towards him, and lose some of her determination towards Mike. And it was only his first day!

At lunch, I began to wonder who Edward would sit with. Would he sit with me and my friends, or would he choose to sit with the populars?

He walked with me, and I headed towards my friends table. It was towards the middle of the cafeteria. We were just out of the range of the wannabe populars whose table's surrounded the populars. The populars tables lounged in a corner and against the back wall, probably so that they wouldn't be completely surrounded by their admirers.

Unsurprisingly, Edward broke away from me as I neared my table. I took my seat and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked. I loved Angela, she knew everything about me. She helped me when my mother died and always knew when something was wrong.

"Nothing." I said, not wanting to tell her that I had a crush on the new boy. I wasn't one for crushes. Even when I was dating Mike, I never really liked him that much. To admit that I had thought I liked the new jock of the school would be humiliating. It was stupid to think that I had a chance with him, especially when every other girl in the school was now head over heals in love with him. I couldn't believe I had fallen for a popular.

For the first half of lunch I willed myself to not look over towards the populars tables. It killed me, I wanted to know if there were girls all around him, hanging on his every word. Eventually I gave in and quickly glanced towards the back corner. But Edward wasn't there. I looked back at the table, deeply confused, and then heard my sister talking about Jasper, the boy she had been chosen to escort around the school.

"I really like him." I heard her whisper. "He's really funny and sweet. He talks about his family a lot, he really loves them."

I felt like smacking myself in the head. I had completely forgotten that Edward had come here with four siblings and that he was probably sitting with him. I searched the cafeteria to find that he was sitting with the rest of his beautiful family on the other end of the cafeteria. That was relieving, at least he wasn't sitting with the populars.

"Hey, Edward." I heard Mike shout across the cafeteria to Edward. I looked over to see Mike gesturing for Edward to come and sit with him. And Edward did. He got up, walked over, and sat down with the populars. All hope is lost.

**(PLEASE REVIEW. Honestly, if you guys don't like it, review and tell me, that way I wont waste my time writing a crappy story)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(Disclaimer – do chickens own KFC? No I didn't think so. So I don't own twilight, new moon, or any of it's characters. Colonel sanders does. Wait no… colonel owns KFC? Stephenie meyer's own twilight.)**

**(A/N: I'M DELETING THIS IF I DON'T GET MORE RESPONSE'S FROM PEOPLE. I really love this story, but I got very very little views, and wayyy less reviews. So if you guys don't like it, then I'm not going to waste my time writing it.)**

I walked to my lockers by myself where I grabbed my notebook for biology. I had just closed my locker when I saw Edward approaching his, accompanied by Kevin and Luke. I turned quickly, pulling my hood up to prevent being recognized. I thought I had managed to be inconspicuous, but I was wrong. Seconds after my first step, one of them called my name. Unwillingly and grudgingly I turned on my heals.

"Yeah?" I said, no longer pretending to be happy about this whole situation.

"Wait up, will ya?" Edward asked, his head hidden behind the locker door.

"Suuurree." I exaggerated the word, hoping he would take the hint – I no longer want anything to do with him.

I leaned up against my locker, impatiently waiting for Edward while he babbled on with his new friends about something. I pretended to not pay attention to a word they were saying but I was actually doing my best to hear every word.

However, just as I tried to focus on their conversation, their tones switched to inaudible whispers that left me completely unaware of their conversation.

I sighed. Waiting for Edward and his group of populars wasn't exactly on my to-do list. In fact, it was on my to-avoid list.

Edward finished up, still speaking in whispers and I started walking in the direction of biology. I walked quickly, hoping he wouldn't try and catch up with me, and would just trail behind, talking to his own kind – populars.

I heard all three of them walking behind me, still whispering. I rolled my eyes.

Then I heard one of the footsteps speed up, and Edward was at my side. I just ignored him.

He seemed to think I didn't notice him, rather than realize that I was imagining he wasn't there. "Bella?" He called for my attention.

I sighed and turned my head to him, realizing I couldn't ignore him any longer. "What?" I asked rather acrimoniously.

For a moment, he looked dumbfounded by my bitterness, but as any good little popular would, he regained his composure.

"Well the guys say that Mike's holding a party this Friday and…" He paused, seeming to be searching for hidden words. "Well I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

I stopped walking and looked at him in disbelief. So is this what they had been whispering about? Kevin and Luke both know I hate parties. They also know the only thing I hate more than parties are populars. Clearly, they didn't inform Edward about this. I guess I would just have to do it myself.

"Edward actually, I hate parties. And know what I hate more than parties?"

His brow furrowed in confusion and he was probably thinking about how he could possibly know the likes and dislikes of a girl he just met.

"I hate populars. Rich, athletic players who get whatever and whoever they want." Part of me wanted to say that I hated him, but I wasn't sure if that was true. Do I hate Edward Cullen? Do I hate this rich, athletic, pretty-boy?

Yes. Yes I do.

"So, no. Edward Cullen, I will not go anywhere with you except to this biology class." I said, gesturing to the door that we were now standing in front of. I could see some of the students inside looking out into the hall, enjoying the show.

Edward got in a look in his eyes that broke my heart, and at the same time made me hate him more. It was the same look that all of the populars got when they don't get their way. I looked away and headed into the classroom and Edward soon followed me in.

The teacher noticed us walking in. "Ah Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen, glad you decided to join us. It's a little early in the school year to start being late for classes, don't you think?"

I could fell the heat that flooded my face as all of the students (the one's who hadn't already seen us in the hallway) turned to us. "Sorry." I muttered.

"Well everyone has already been seated. You two can sit at that table over there." He said in a monotone, waving his hand in the direction of the only empty lab table.

I frowned. Another class where I have to sit next to him.

**(A/N: short, I know. But I just wanted to put another chapter up to see if more people will read and tell me if it's good or bad.)**


	3. Just another popular: the real chapter 3

**I AM SOOOO SORRY. I POSTED CHAPTER ONE AGAIN INSTEAD OF CHAPTER THREE. SOOOOORRRRYY!!!! ON WITH THE STORY…**

**(A/N: I was so excited that chapter two had a much better response than chapter one. It makes me so happy to know that you girls/guys enjoy my story!)**

**(Disclaimer – I don't own even own the house I live in (my parents do derr) so why the heck would anyone think that I owned twilight, new moon or any of their characters? Well for you slow people (I have nothing against mentally retarded people, just so you know) I don't own them! Stephenie meyer does!)**

Biology was unbearable. I had figured that it wouldn't be a walk in the park the moment I had been assigned to sit with Edward, but for completely different reasons.

I had thought that sitting with Edward would be torturous because he was a popular, so we were like vampires and werewolves; mortal enemies. The only difference was that this was high school and neither of us obtained mystical powers.

So I had prepared myself to deal with Mr. Ego, and his popular talk. I had even anticipated some evil glares of hatred here and there. But I was wrong. That seems to be happening a lot today.

Edward was _friendly._ Not friendly in a civilized manner, where he pretends to accept me so that people don't think he's a jerk. He was friendly in the kind way, where his friendliness was entirely sincere. I was dumbfounded, completely unsure what to make of this unexpected amiability.

The teacher began rambling on about the course, as every teacher today had done. I tried hard to pay attention to the teacher, but found myself unexplainably drawn towards Edward, thoroughly fascinated. My elbow was propped on the table, my head resting in my hand, turned ever so slightly in the direction of the captivating person beside me.

The teacher's words became a humming noise, like a bee flying around my head, trying to break my concentration. I tried to block it out, and the humming was reduced to a faraway whisper. I wasn't sure, but at one point during my ogling, I thought I saw Edward look at me from the corner of his eye. I quickly brought my eyes down, battling the blush that was threatening to redden my face. I kept my eyes down for what felt like forever before I quickly flashed my eyes to his, making sure his glance had shifted from me. With confirmation, I adjusted my head a little, so I could once again get lost in his beauty.

Part of me wanted to slap myself for for being so interested in Edward. He was exactly the type of person I had made a mission in life to avoid. Well, I guess avoid wasn't the best word to describe how I dealt with his type. I think destroy is more accurate… But here I was, staring at this beautiful creature who looked like god himself, but came from very depths of hell. His attractive features drawing me in, enticing me to get closer while my instincts were screaming that I run away. This pretty-boy wasn't any good for me, and I knew it. But this sense of surety – this knowing of his terrible and ruthless ways – only pushed my want to prove myself wrong.

Edward glanced at me from the corner of his eyes again. His twinkling peridot eyes didn't dart away this time, and my boring chocolate brown eyes didn't wander either. He too shifted his head to look at me. Curiosity shone in his eyes, and I was sure I looked much the same. Why was he staring at me like that? Why can't I look away? Why do I feel something other than hatred toward this boy who is nothing more than another popular?

The way Edward looked at me made me feel like my questions were written clearly on my forehead.

"I'm not like them." What was he talking about? How could he possibly know that I had already picked him out as a popular? I looked away, knowing what he had just said was a lie.

"Sure. Whatever." I said nonchalantly, but somehow bitterness rang eerily in my whisper.

"Really, I'm not," he said, his honey voice smothered with plea.

"Why would I believe a pretty boy like you?" I asked. It was supposed to be an insult but as a beautiful smile spread across his equally beautiful face I realized he had managed to think of that as a compliment of sorts.

"You think I'm pretty?" He asked. His tone was mocking but I think I heard some actual thoughtfulness in his question.

Just as I was about to open my mouth – though I wasn't sure what I was going to say – Mr. Banner cleared his throat. "Miss Swan, Mr. Cullen." We turned to him. "The conversation ends now or you will both find yourselves the recipients of my first detentions this year. Are we clear?"

Edward and I both nodded our heads. The teacher turned his attention back to his speech, while the rest of the class turned to look at us. I could feel that my cheeks were a furious shade of red as I sulked in embarrassment. The eyes of the students in this class were yet again on me. The discomfiture subsided as I decided that this was all the stupid popular's fault. I turned to give him the most threateningly angry glare I could. I saw him wince a little and then he put on an innocent look in apology. He truly looked god-sent; his pale marble complexion looking as soft and smooth as a baby's, his bronze hair carelessly arranged, and his green eyes – though I would never admit aloud – could convince me to believe anything.

"Sorry," he whispered at the exact wrong moment.

"Cullen, Swan, detention!" the teacher bellowed. My expression dropped dramatically. Not a single detention in ten years and on the first day of my Junior year my record is destroyed. Not only is my reputation (not that I had much of a reputation) ruined, but now I had a whole extra hour in the presence of Edward. Someone is out to get me. I know it.

The teacher gestured with our hands to come up to him so he could hand us our detention slips.

We headed towards the front of the class where the teacher was sitting at his desk. He fumbled through his drawer, looking for the slips. I kept my head down, not only feeling embarrassed but completely ashamed of myself. I could practically feel all of the eyes that were occupied on Edward and I. It was unnerving in a dishonorable manner.

We arrived at the desk just as Mr. Banner found the slips and began scribbling some information on each one.

"Not a very good start in Forks Mr. Cullen," he said in a low voice while he finished writing whatever it is he was writing. I didn't exactly know what the paper said or what he was writing, because this was my first – and hopefully last – detention. I could only imagine what Charlie would say. To him I was the perfect daughter and making mistakes was an impossibility.

He handed Edward and I our slips. "Do I already need to move your seats?" His eyebrows were raised.

"No sir." Edward said formally, and I shook my head. Mr. Banner gave us one more look of disapproval before waving us back to our seats.

I sat down and moved my chair as far away from Edward as I could manage without sitting in the middle of the aisle. I noticed Edward frown, but I couldn't care less if he was displeased right now. Right now, I would eagerly lead him to a jagged cliff and tell him it would be fun for him to jump off.

The bell rang shortly after the incident. I grabbed my belongings as fast as I could and ran out of the room to avoid Edward. Bad idea. I tripped over oh-so-dangerous air and found myself falling and all of my books flying out of my hands. I waited for the ground to become acquainted with my face, but instead of falling I heard my books hit the ground with a thud, and felt an arm wrapping around my waist.

The arm pulled me up so my back was against the chest of my savior. After he was sure I had gained my balance he relinquished my waist and I turned to face my rescuer.

It was Cullen.

Of. Freaking. Course.

He smiled shyly. I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I said dryly.

"No problem." His smile dazzled me until I pulled myself from his breathtaking grin so I could gather my books – and my thoughts. Edward followed my lead, gathering the majority of my books. He handed them to me and smiled slightly.

"Thanks." I said again, this time more hospitably. He had caught me and helped pick up my books. It wouldn't kill me to be sincere for two minutes.

"Yeah. Hey Bella, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to get us in trouble in there." I heard the worry and nervousness in his voice. He was probably anticipating that I would scream out a list of profanities or bite his head of for getting me a detention. Both of which I considered but decided against.

"Whatever, I guess I was bound to get a detention eventually." I kept my features blank. It was either a blank expression, or an angry one – because I couldn't fake a smile right now if my life depended on it.

"Yeah, me too." I looked up at him curiously. He hadn't gotten a detention before? That was very un-popular. Well, kind of. Populars usually got a lot of detentions but wiggled their way out of them. "My parents are going to by hysterical." I gave him one more puzzled look. Maybe I had been wrong about Edward.

"Mine too." I couldn't fight back grimacing any longer. Apparently neither could Edward. I looked at his somewhat fearful and angry features and he looked down at mine. We stared at each other for a short moment before we both laughed at our expressions. His laughter made me want to cry. It's very ironic, but very true. I don't know why but as I listened to his perfectly toned string of laughs I wanted to break down. I'm not sure if it was because I was jealous that I couldn't laugh like that, or because I'm not sure I had ever heard something so beautiful.

I sighed laughably. "We have to go to class."

"Yeah." He agreed as he looked around at the near-vacant halls.

"Bye." I said. I didn't smile though. I'm still not sure what to think about him. Is this all some act? Is he truly a popular at heart who is just toying with my emotions? He better hope not.

"Bye. See you in detention!" He called with fake enthusiasm. I smiled when he turned and walked away.

Gym was uneventful which was a relief. Coach Clapp took the first day to do just as the other teachers had and explained the rules. Let's see there was: Change every day, don't steal anyone else's deodorant (???), be on time, no going into the wrong dressing room, no bragging, and no purposefully harming someone. After he told us the brief and pointless rules he continued on telling us what sports we would be focusing on this year. I didn't pay any attention whatsoever. It was quite boring, so my mind wandered to something a little bit more fascinating.

Edward. Edward Cullen. Effortlessly looking like he'd just fallen out of some large magazine from the sky. Edward with his shinning bronze hair and glimmering green eyes. The only teenager in the world who could come to a new school and have immediate popularity. The stereotypical popular – a shockingly beautiful jock, perfect in every way, and in all equality a jerk – yet something about him said he wasn't stereotypical at all. He spoke formally and smiled brilliantly. But he could also be a bubble-headed player. He has a beautiful laugh. But he could just be trying to use me.

I argued with myself for the rest of the period. I sat there with a feeling distant as I thought of the pros and cons of Edward. As I continued contradicting myself in my head (I now have a headache) I decided that I needed to make up my mind about him right now. I either liked him or I didn't. No, that wasn't true. I either loved him or I hated him. I either loved him as the kind beautiful kind person he could be, or I hated him as the obnoxious popular that he might be. But who was he? I don't know which one he truly is. I know that I could love him if he was sweet and polite like he was a short while ago. But if I fell in love with him and he turned out to be the rich jock he was today with Kevin and Luke then my heart would shatter because of the love I had lost. I had never really agreed with the saying "It's better to have had love and lost it then to have never had it at all." In fact I felt quite the opposite. I think it would be better to not feel anything at all rather than feel heartache. So does that mean I should give up on Edward? Should I give up love to prevent him from having the chance to play with my heart like a toy?

I sighed, frustrated that I was forced to make this decision. I ran a hand through my hair as I realized that I already knew the answer to my question. I couldn't be with Edward. I couldn't take that kind of risk, so now I had to be as crafty as I could and avoid him at all costs. Because as of now, Edward Cullen is just another popular.

**(A/N: OKAY I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER. BELLA IS GOING TO START HER FULL OUT HATRED OF EDWARD AND IS FINALLY GOING TO MEET EMMETT FACE TO FACE!! YAY! WANT TO KNOW HOW IT WILL ALL TURN OUT?? THEN REVIEW!! WONDERFUL REVIEWERS REVIEW! Every review gets a free imaginary friend! THEY ARE AWESOME!)**


	4. the enemy's brother

**(A/N: Here's the next chapter! Remember it's jasper now, not Emmett. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. Or don't – and see how long it takes me to update without inspiration. Dun dun dun. Okay, that was kind of evil, I'll admit.)**

**I would have posted this last night but fanfiction wouldn't allow me to log on to my account.**

**sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I didn't get a chance to fix them.**

**(Disclaimer – I don't own twilight, new moon, eclipse, or any of their characters. Stephenie meyer does)**

I pushed the door open to the room that detention was being held to find two people had gotten there ahead of me. Edward Cullen, and Jasper – the boy Jenn had been asked to guide around the school.

They sat in seats right next to each other in the center of the room, and I ignored the fact that their whispers quieted as I entered the room. I walked up to the front of the classroom where the principal sat at his desk. Papers were scattered messily over the desk and his chair was wooden and old. He looked up at me in surprise.

"Isabella Swan?" He sounded shocked, almost appalled.

"Hello Mr.Warston." I said glumly.

"_You_ have a detention?" He asked in that same disapproving tone, looking taken aback. I nodded my head slowly and solemnly. I handed him the detention slip, and he observed it quickly. "Talking in class! Heavens, I never thought of you to be such a chatter box!" He grumbled something else under his breath before nodding his head in the directions of the seats, a hint for me to sit down.

I walked down the aisles and took the seat as from the two as possible. I didn't know Jasper so there was no point in sitting next to him. And I now officially hate Edward so it would just be plain stupid to be within ten feet of him. Even being in the same room as him was maddening.

I dropped my back pack beside the seat I chose. It was close to the window, so I could just spend the entire class staring out at the gray sky and the green trees that gave the horizon a jagged line.

As soon as I was in my seat Mr.Warston cleared his throat.

"I have to say, I am rather disappointed with you three. Isabella, never a detention in your life!" He mumbled something incoherent. I made out the word "disappointed," and frowned. "Jasper and Edward, my lord! It's only your first day at Forks High. I'm hoping this isn't indicating any future problems in this school year." He gave them a stern look, demanding that they assure him otherwise.

"No sir." They said in unison. Mr.Warston looked at them sharply.

"You may do homework, or read. Because this group is so small –" he gave all of us another wary look "–I suppose you may talk amongst yourselves. Quietly." He warned. Then be brought his attention back to the crossword puzzle I had seen on the untidy desk.

I may have taken advantage of Mr.Warston's permission to talk if there had been someone in this room – _anyone_ – other than the two I had gotten stuck with. So I simply turned my head to the window, as I had planned.

The window overlooked the faculty parking lot, but in the distance I could see the massive and ominous forests. I had a whole hour to pass, and this view wasn't going to be entertaining for quite that long. After about fifteen minutes I began worrying how I was going to occupy myself once the scene before me was etched with perfect detail into my mind, and then I heard the humming of Jasper and Edward speaking again.

Well, this surely would be more interesting then the rain-obscured picture before me. I pretended to continue staring absent-mindedly as I listened in on their conversation. I had never been one to eavesdrop, but I was bored and if it hadn't been for Cullen, I wouldn't be here in the first place. My justification was good enough for me, so I focused intently on the words they were whispering, immediately wishing I had sat closer to them. With some concentration I could understand what they were saying in their soft voices.

"She hates me. She hates everything about me." Edward informed Jasper, and I just barely refrained from chortling in agreement. I could picture them both shooting cautious glances at me, thinking I was entirely unaware of the conversation they were having about me.

"Oh, come on Mr.Pessimist, she can't possibly abhor you that much." His brother quietly spoke. His tone was strangely soothing, and even I felt somewhat comforted.

"No, Jasper you don't get it. She. Hates. Me. You should she way she looks – _glares_ – at me. It's like she's hoping maybe I'll poof away – preferably to hell to burn." Jasper chuckled at Edward's malignant way of depicting how I felt towards him. "I was sure I had done it when I got her a detention. She practically moved her seat to the other side of the room." I could hear the frown in his voice. Jasper remained silent. "I caught up with her after class, and she was nicer – sort of. But she walked in here and didn't look at me once. She even sat as far away as possible. I didn't know anyone could loathe so strongly."

"Do you know _why_ she hates you?" Jasper asked, and I noticed his voice and Edward's were both velvet smooth and honey sweet.

"She definitely didn't strive to make it any secret." Edward muttered indignantly.

"Well…?" Jasper prompted.

"I hate populars. I hate rich, athletic players who get whatever and whoever they want." He quoted me sourly. "She thinks I'm just some loaded pretty-boy."

Jasper was quiet for a moment, and then his tone was thoughtful. "Well, then go over there and talk to her. Convince her you're not." My heart stopped in alarm and then picked up twice as fast as before. My face drained and I glared, my lips pulled down at the corners and my eyes squinted angrily. Edward would stay away, or he would regret it.

"Are you_ crazy?_" Edward asked his brother, clearly in true question of his brother's sanity. As much as I hated to admit it, I agreed with Edward entirely. Had Jasper listened to a single word his brother had told him? Had Edward not forewarned him of my odium? "I am _not_ going over there."

"If you don't, then I will. She looks lonely. And I'm pretty sure she could hear every word we've said."

I brought my head just a little bit lower as the color returned bright and livid on my cheeks. Of course, they couldn't actually prove I'd been listening in, but the fact that Jasper assumed this – and was right, embarrassed me.

"You wouldn't."

I heard pure silence for a moment – other than the scribbling of Mr.Warstons pencil on the crossword puzzle. I could picture in my head Edward staring in disbelief at his brother, trying to determine whether Jasper was bluffing or not.

There was a loud screech that I could only assume to be the sound of Jasper pushing his chair away from the desk – proving he was serious about confronting me.

"You're going to get us both killed. Sit down!" Edward hissed at his brother. Jasper took no notice to his brothers' demands; I could hear his quiet steps down the aisle.

"Jasper!" Edward pleaded, but Jaspers near silent steps continued. I held my breath as the steps got closer, only five seconds away. I tried to calm down. It wasn't like he was some crazy serial killer with a dagger he planned to plunge into my heart. But _why_ is he coming over here? I have no quarrel with him; I haven't uttered a single word to or about him. I panicked slightly, unsure of what his reason was for approaching me so suddenly, and so seemingly randomly. I was comforted slightly when I remembered what Jenn had said about Jasper. '_He's really funny and sweet.'_ She had said. _'He talks about his family a lot, he really loves them.' _

I let out the nervous breath I'd been holding as I remembered that Jenn seemed to think he was okay. And though I was relieved some, it still startled me when I felt Jasper tap my shoulder. I jumped from my seat, and almost fell onto the ground.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He smiled and I was immediately less anxious.

"I'm fine." I assured him, and I could feel Edward's incredulous eyes on us.

"Would you mind if I sat here?" He gesticulated at the seat beside me.

I nodded that it was fine.

Jasper gracefully sat down, and it awed me how lithe his movements were. He smiled again when he noticed how I was staring at him in wonder. My cheeks turned a gentle pink.

"You're Jennifer's sister, right?" I felt like his words were melted together into a harmony, and it befuddled me.

"Uh, yeah. She's my sister." I answered when my head was clear again.

"I'm Jasper Hale." He held out his hand and I shook it. His hands were soft, much like a babies.

"Bella." I said simply.

"Would you mind if I asked you something, Bella?" He spoke formally, the way Edward had. I began to wonder if their adoptive parents had put them through some fancy speech class.

I was hesitant to agree to his request, I was sure it would be Edward-related. "I suppose. If I get to ask you a question in return."

He smiled again. It was a full beautiful smile, showing all of his perfect white teeth. "Certainly." I nodded for him to proceed and ask me his question. "Who do you think knows you the best?"

That question caught me off guard. I was positive he would ask me something about the hate I directed at his brother.

My brows puckered, puzzled at why he would ask me this. But he was still waiting for an answer, so I replaced my confused expression with one of thought. Who knows me the best? Well, I wasn't really close with many people. Charlie was kind of a quiet person, not one for sharing feelings. But Jenn had always been there for me. She was my big sister and she knows me inside and out. There was no debate that she knew every aspect about me – the way I looked at things, my likes and dislikes, the way I would react to something. I knew her in the same way.

"Jenn."

Jasper smiled again, and I was vaguely aware that Edward was listening in and staring at us in perplexity. "I thought you would say that. You do know that your sister was chosen to accompany me around the school today?"

I realized that he was asking me more than one question, but decided not to acknowledge it.

"Yeah."

"She said a lot about you. You two must be close." I was a little mortified. What had Jenn said about me? Was it humiliating? Endearing? Overly-dramatic? But I was more curious in where he was going with this than what Jenn had said about me. I tilted my head, hinting that I didn't understand what he was getting at.

"We are." I finally answered. I began to acknowledge that I needed to start saying more than two-word replies.

"She said that you weren't judgmental." I frowned, understanding what he was indicating.

"I don't mean to offend you, but how well do you really know my brother? Your assumptions about him were a little condemnatory." Out of the corner of my eye I could see a look of horror on Edwards' face that I recognized. It was the same expression I could feel washing over my features whenever my older sibling would stand up for me unasked.

I didn't know what to say to Jasper. Should I pretend I hadn't heard? Should I deny his accusation of me being judgmental? Should I try and explain to him – tell him why I acted the way I did? Tell him that this was just me being precautious? And after I did whatever I chose to do, would he be angry with me? He seemed perfectly at ease right now, but I didn't want to upset him for insulting his brother.

"Jenn said you didn't like to argue." He said, reading the conflict on my features. "Please calm down, I'm not angry with you."

And I did. I calmed down. I don't know how to explain it, but I suddenly matched the same ease Jasper had.

"You can ask your question now." Jasper encouraged smoothly.

I sat there a little dumbfounded and drawn back. When I had negotiated with the question asking I hadn't actually had a question in mind. I sifted through my mind, trying to come up with an adequate question to ask him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked, before I had even thought through what I was saying. Once my words caught up with my mind I wanted to hide in a corner. I envisioned myself at that moment, turning into an actual tomato from blushing such a deep red color.

Edward looked utterly shocked and Jasper looked very, very amused. Neither of these responses helped tame the blazing scarlet on my face.

Jasper's amused expression slipped into an amused smile and his surprisingly light-blue eyes twinkled.

Why, Bella, _why?_ Why did you ask _that_?

I knew the answer of course. I had recalled Jenn saying that she really liked Jasper, I was simply trying to do her a favor. However, it didn't look that way to Jasper or Edward. Or Mr.Warston, whose full attention was now on me.

I could tell that I was frozen in my seat, which was strange considering that my face was alive with color.

Jasper chuckled. "No, I don't."

I was even more humiliated when he actually answered my question. I think he could tell.

"There is no need to be embarrassed. And although you do look lovely when you blush, the state of redness on your face is making me nervous."

I turned my head to hide my face.

"Do you hate my brother?" He asked after a moment. I didn't answer.

"Do you hate me?"

I turned back to him. I shook my head. He smiled a friendly smile.

And then Edward growled

"Alright, that's enough. I want silence for the last twenty minutes." Mr.Warston ordered. I was eternally grateful to him. I needed to sort my head and I wasn't sure how much more mortification I could endure.

I slowly turned my head away from Jasper and turned my eyes back to the window, not really looking at what was outside.

What had just happened?

I had unintentionally hit on Jasper, the brother of the boy I hate. As if that wasn't controversial enough Jasper was the boy my sister says she likes. On top of that, Jasper had said I looked lovely. And Edward _growled_ when I said I didn't hate his brother.

I was used to staying on the sidelines, drama was not one of my specialties, and I was thankful for that. But now, I found myself confused and drama was omnipresent. My brain was being twisted and my heart was pounding and I really needed to leave this room. The calmness emanating off of Jasper was shadowed by the pervading antagonism from Edward. And my luck wasn't running out there. No, the bad luck clung, providing my little uncomfortable situation with my principal as an audience. Fifteen more minutes and I would be out of here. Fifteen more minutes to endure.

And then I felt a small flick against my arm. I turned to look at the side of my desk that Jasper was nearest. I looked at him quizzically, and he pointed to my desk. I looked down to find a small piece of folded paper. A note? This was so Junior High, however I couldn't cool the impatience to open it.

**Why did you ask me that question?**

**P.S. when you blush after reading this, please don't turn away. You really do look lovely.**

Of course, I did blush. I went to turn, until I remembered his request. I sighed, but obeyed, though I don't know why I did. I barely knew Jasper, why should I care at all what he says or thinks? But for some unknown reason, I did and I was just going to have to deal with that for now. I earnestly refused to tell him why I had asked him that. I would never risk Jasper knowing Jenn liked him, unless she wanted him to know.

I was kind of nervous to write a response in my messy hand writing. His script was so fluid and curvy and _neat._ My penmanship was the complete opposite of the beautiful boy who was currently waiting for my response. I looked over at him quickly and noticed he looked a bit embarrassed himself. It wasn't hard to guess why. When someone asks you question such as I did, it sort of has an implication – _I'm interested in you. _When you ask the person why they asked you that question, that too had something implied – _Are you interested in me? _

**Just curious.**

I wrote. It was a lot easier to lie when I didn't have to actually speak the words. I folded the paper into a small square. When I was sure the principal wasn't looking I tossed it onto his desk. Edward was still looking at us, and it made me slightly uncomfortable.

Jasper unfolded the sheet, looking thoughtful for a moment. I may have been imagining it, but he looked slightly disappointed.

He scrawled something down before folding the paper and flicking it back.

When it landed on my desk I noticed he had folded it into one of those small little footballs that all the guys used to play with at lunch when we were younger. I could never get those things open. This was going to be interesting. And most likely problematic.

I took the small triangle in my hand, trying to find the fissure that had the end of paper that I needed to start with. I was unsuccessful. I could feel Jasper getting a little impatient, as was I. I spent five minutes trying to unfold it before Jasper took it from his hands and unfolded it himself, making a show out of it. He placed it on my desk unfolded and smoothed out.

**Oh, that makes sense.**

The sarcasm was obvious. And I had to agree that it was kind of odd that someone would ask something like that from a random spur of curiosity. But that wasn't all he'd written so I just continued reading.

**Am I the only one who feels Edward burning hole's in my back with his eyes?**

I smiled without humor. I didn't like the dirty looks Edward was giving Jasper. I grabbed for my pen.

**Yeah, what's with him?**

I decided to play dumb, though I had a good idea of what Edward's dark mood was about.

Jasper seemed to know that I was playing dumb.

**You know why.**

I hardly knew Jasper, yet here we were, passing notes. Both of us clearly interested in one another. I was pretty sure my flirt-o-meter was about to explode. Part of my mind was screaming that I should stop right now. I had two very good reasons. The first one was that I had no idea who Jasper was. I wasn't clued in at all what he was like. For all I knew popularity runs in the family and he's just like Edward. Though, I strongly doubted that. Jasper was so different, in a good way. Even though I barely knew him I felt so comfortable here with him, passing notes like fifth graders. I liked being around him already.

But I knew that this was wrong. Jenn had said she likes Jasper. Jenn was my older sister, I loved her. And she had sort of claimed Jasper, which meant he was off limits.

And even though I knew both of these things, I couldn't bring myself to believe that this was wrong, because it didn't feel wrong. It felt uncannily _right_. And I wasn't going to give it up. I'll talk to Jenn about this later. Surely when she knows how perfect Jasper and I seem to be already she'll understand. I hope she understands.

I was so wrapped up in trying to validate my being attracted to Jasper that Mr.Warston dismissed us before I had a chance to write back to Jasper.

I put the note into my backpack so that Mr.Warston wouldn't find it carelessly discarded on the ground and use it as an excuse to give me another detention. I slung my back pack over one arm and began to walk out the classroom.

I was aware of Jasper following behind me, and Edward following hastily behind him. Mr.Warston remained in the room, probably still fixated with his crossword puzzle. As soon as we were out the class Jasper called my name.

I spun around to find him surprisingly close. "Yeah?" I said.

"See you tomorrow." He said in a tone so sweet it sounded like he was proposing. It flustered me.

"Uh… yeah. B-bye." I stuttered dazed.

He smiled, then grabbed my hand and kissed it. I was almost completely unaware of Edward who was fuming vehemently behind Jasper. He released my hand and smiled down at me before walking away. I stood there for a moment, my heart fluttering and my mind turning to soup.

**(A/N: PLEASE READ. Okay, so I figure I better come up with a post-eclipse story. So I'm brainstorming about that. When/if I come up with an idea, I probably won't post it for another week or so, to give people a chance to read eclipse.**

**Oh yeah, this was like nine pages, and over 3,500 words!! Yay!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEW REIVEW REVIEW!)**


	5. the truth comes out

**(Authors Note: FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER!! Wow I'm so incredibly sorry. Really, I feel awful. I should have updated this forever ago. I'm even more sorry that this chapter isn't my best :/ I tried really hard but I'm still in a bit of a writers block, but I really wanted to give you guys a chapter! So if you don't like it, I'm sorry, and maybe I'll go back and fix it later, but this is all I have for you for now. P.S. I don't own this or any of the characters, Stephenie Meyer does.)**

I hate this truck. A lot.

Okay, so maybe that's not completely true, but right now it is. This rusty, old piece of metal is so incredibly loud that even the slightest hope of sneaking into my house was nonexistent.

I had already delayed coming home as long as possible. I had dropped by Angela's house because I desperately needed to talk to someone about my situation, and I knew I could trust her not to say anything to Jenn. Basically, Angela did a lot of frowning. She wasn't very pleased with what I was doing, and said that I should either end whatever was going on between Jasper and I, or I need to confront Jenn. And I know that I should, but I just need some time to figure things out.

I cut the engine and sat for a while, trying to decide what technique I should use to deal with Charlie. I could blame it on Edward and say that I hadn't done anything at all and that I was wrongly accused of doing something I hadn't done. It wasn't _completely_ a lie. Or I could be very obedient and reply only with "No sir," "Yes sir," and "Won't happen again sir." Then there is always the apologetic strategy. I could put on a puppy face, look him in the eye, admit that I was wrong and say that I was very sorry. I decided against the last one, because I'm pretty sure that was something that only worked in elementary school.

I sighed, grabbed my bag and got out of my truck, slamming it closed. I walked slowly and drearily to the door. I hesitated, turning the knob at a snail's pace until I figured that I just needed to suck it up and get it over with. I swung the door in and stopped dead in my tracks. Was that humming I was hearing? It was too low to be my sister, and I was sure it couldn't be Charlie. If anything, Charlie would be in a screaming rampage, furious that I had gotten a detention. (I mentally cursed the automated school calling service that informed parents when their child received a detention). So _who_ was humming? Only one way to find out.

I took cautious steps into the small house, following the sound of the humming until I was in the kitchen. Oh lord.

Edward and Jasper Cullen were in my kitchen cooking. _Humming_ and cooking, and too preoccupied to realize I was there.

"Umm…"

Both of their heads turned to me. Jasper flashed me a brilliant smile, and Edward smiled too, though his was more uncomfortable.

"Hello Bella." Jasper walked over to me and I wished he hadn't. My stomach became knotted with nervousness.

"Uhh, hey Jasper? What are you doing in my house?"

"Cooking you and your family dinner."

"Why?"

"It was actually Edwards' idea. He felt bad about getting you in trouble. He already explained everything to your dad."

I looked over to Edward and considered thanking him. It was a really nice thing to do, but I still hated him. I just nodded and looked back to Jasper. I could see Edward frowning in my peripheral vision.

"You really didn't need to do this. I like cooking."

"Well you can help us if you'd like."

I looked wearily at Edward but he was looking down at his shoes.

"Err-"

"Bella, you're finally home!" Jenn was prancing down the stairs, saving me from coming up with a response.

"Yeah, hey."

She came to me and gave me a hug, obviously enthused with her company. I felt guilty. I really needed to do something before this became too out of hand.

"Bella this is Jasper. Jasper this is Bella." Jenn unnecessarily introduced us when she had pulled away from our hug.

"Bella and I have already acquainted." Jasper informed.

"Oh. How?" I didn't see an ounce of suspicion in her eyes. She trusted me too much to think that anything was going on.

"We have Edward to thank for that." Jasper chuckled. I could see Edward blushing, though his eyes were livid. He was probably angry at the subtle flirting between his brother and me.

"Wait, you had a detention too?" Jenn asked.

"Yes. Apparently new students are expected to arrive at class at the same time as everyone else."

"You were late? I brought you to all of your classes at the same time I was supposed to be at mine."

"Apparently that's two minutes later than when I'm supposed to be in his class. He failed to realize his clock was two minutes fast."

I snickered, as did Jasper and Jenn. Edward was too caught up in his resentment to find anything humorous.

"So, what's on the menu?" Jenn queried.

Edward finally spoke up. "Cheese ravioli with chicken parmesan from scratch."

"Mmm. Bella, do you remember the chicken parmesan mom used to make?"

I was quiet and looked away. I hate talking about mom. I have so few memories of her. The most potent one is not one I seek remembrance of. Jenn knew better than to bring her up.

"No." I whispered after a moment. An uneasy silence fell, none of them knew what to say, and I just didn't want to say anything at all.

"Hey Kiddo!" My dads' boots thumped against the linoleum as he shattered the awkward noiselessness.

"Hey dad." I turned to face him. "I'm really sorry about the detention-"

"Nonsense. The boy here explained. The nerve of that teacher. Do you want me to talk to your principal?"

"No, no dad. It's not a big deal." My dad grumbled something I couldn't comprehend.

"So when will dinner be ready?" Charlie asked, rubbing his stomach, which isn't large, but is rounded slightly.

"For six sir. But it would be sooner if Bella would assist us?" Jasper looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Y-yeah, sure. Let me just go change into something else, so I don't get this messy." I looked down at my plain sweater and jeans, hoping they wouldn't notice that I was making a poor attempt to leave, if only for a minute.

I headed for the stairs, and could hear Jenn behind me. She followed me into my bedroom.

"Soooo?" Jenn said perkily, exaggerating the word.

"Soooooo what?"

"So what do you think about Jasper!?" She held a high tone, but her voice was a whisper.

"He seems… nice."

"Nice? What does that mean?"

"I mean…" I paused. Should I tell her? She is my sister and my best friend. She's the only person I can truly confine in, she deserves the truth. But is there really anything to tell her about? Am I just imagining this all? Maybe Jasper just wants to be friends and I misunderstood. In that case, it would be pointless to get Jenn all wound up.

"Well, you guys didn't seem to have a lot of chemistry."

"He was just being quiet because dad was around, that's all."

"Maybe you should-"

"He's so sweet and kind. And he's _gorgeous_. All of them are. What's going on between you and Edward? He's _adorable_."

I bit my tongue. I figured I should at least wait until he was out of my house before I elaborated my abomination of Edward.

"I don't think we really get along too well." I hinted.

"Oh, well I'm sure it will work out." She winked. "But you better head back down. They're expecting your help. I would help too, but I think I'll spare myself the embarrassment."

I snickered. Jenn had inherited both of our parents' terrible cooking skills. "Yeah. I'll come get you when it's ready."

I turned for the door and heard Jenn turning on the television. I don't know why we bother having separate rooms. We spend as much time in each other's rooms as we do in our own. I closed the door behind me, taking a deep gulp of air, trying to push away the knots in my stomach. I walked down the stairs and faked a smile when I reached the kitchen.

"So, what do you need help with?" I asked as I walked to the sink to wash my hands.

"Well we've barely begun, so anything is up for grabs." Jasper was bustling around the small kitchen, looking for something.

I smiled, for real this time. This was a perfect chance to show off a little. Everyone loves my ravioli.

"How about we split up? I'll make the ravioli, Jasper you can do the chicken parmesan and Edward can do the garlic bread and salad?"

"Sounds good. Where are your pans?" Jasper had the most admirably cute perplexed expression. He must have been searching for a while.

"In that cabinet over there." I pointed it out. I refrained from laughing at the fact that I had purposely placed it in a difficult hiding spot. It prevented Jenn and Charlie from cooking and ruining my pans.

Edward was rummaging through our spice cabinet. Then he silently exited the kitchen and walked down the hallway. I could hear him putting on his jacket and shoes. "You don't have any garlic powder or bread to make garlic bread with. I'm going to drive down to the store. Is there anything else you need?" He was walking back towards the kitchen now.

I couldn't believe I was actually thinking this, but the only thing I needed was for him to stay. I don't think it's a good idea for me and Jasper to be alone together right now. "No it's fine. I'll go. I'll get your stuff and what I need. Jasper, do you need me to pick up anything for you?"

"How about I just come with you?" He grinned and his eyes twinkled. My breath caught in my throat.

"I'm fine… I'll be back-"

"I insist that I accompany you. I think Edward can manage the kitchen without us for a little while." He turned to Edward whose lips were set in a deep frown. I tried to sputter an opposition of some sort, but nothing came out. I sighed. "Yeah, let's go." At least being out with him in public would be easier than being alone with him in privacy. We put on our shoes but I was too preoccupied to remember my jacket. I reached in my pockets for my keys and I realized I had left them in my other jeans when I had changed clothes. "Hold up. I need to go grab my keys."

"It's fine. I'll drive." He pulled his keys from his jacket and opened the door for me. I guess chivalry is still practiced amongst some people – though, I'm beginning to think that the Cullen's may be the only ones.

I walked out into the fine mist and searched for his car. It was parked across the street. I don't know how I had missed it earlier. I was probably inattentive because I was worried about how Charlie would take the news of my detention, and confused about Jasper (which I still am).

It was times like now when I wish I could speak car-lingo. All I know about the car was that it is a Mercedes-Benz, which means it was expensive. I'm thankful that I know that much. If it wasn't for the symbol thingy on the grille, I would be at a complete loss.

I approached the passenger side of the car and waited for him to unlock the door. I should have foreseen it, but it still surprised me when he came over to my door and opened it for me. He was making it incredibly difficult to not be flattered.

I quickly admired the interior of his car as he walked around the front of his car and got in. He started the engine and it purred quietly to life. It was almost startling to me to hear a car so soundless, because I'm so accustomed to my deafening truck.

We were silent until we turned off of my street.

"So, what do you need at the store?" I asked. Right now the silence was too uncomfortable. I briefly remembered something a character in a book had done. He was a college professor, and he decided to start a class with silence. He simply walked into the classroom and said nothing for a period of time. The students became uneasy, and eventually he broke the silence by inquiring why people become so anxious in silence and what was so comforting about noise and words. I was asking myself the same question right about now.

"Nothing." He turned to me and smiled. It was the kind of smile that assured you that the world was perfectly harmonious and made you want to dance, or just do something – anything – because you were so sure that you could.

"Then why did you come?"

"I thought it was obvious."

I could feel those knots in my stomach again, and the fact that the odometer showed that he was going 80 miles an hour wasn't helping.

"Listen Jasper, I don't know what's going on between the two of us, but I'm sure you've guessed that my sister-"

He put his finger to my lips to quiet me. He looked directly at me and his aquamarine eyes shone like stars and swirled like water in a lake.

"Look, Bella, your sister is really nice and I like her a lot – as a friend. And I know we just met and I'm not saying we need to rush into anything, but can you really tell me that you don't feel something more than friendship between the two of us?"

My heart was beating so fast and I wasn't sure if I was breathing. It was now or never.

"No."

**(Author's note: okay so there you go. As I said before, sorry for such an extensive delay, and sorry this wasn't exactly the most well-written chapter. Please review!! Anyone that reviews gets an imaginary…piece of gum!!! Oh and if anyone knows what book I made a reference to, then you get a whole imaginary pack of gum!!! Haha. I'll try to make my upcoming chapters much better than this, and I hope you guys aren't too mad at me. Thanks, shattered-picture-frame)**


	6. Romance and Discomfiture

**Bella meant that she couldn't say that she didn't feel something other than friendship between her and Jasper. That is a double negative, so it means that SHE DOES FEEL SOMETHING OTHER THAN FRIENDSHIP FOR HIM.**

**Okayyyy is that cleared up? Sorry, that was rather confusing.**

**Authoress note: Here's your new chapter!! None of the original characters are mine, they belong to Stephenie Meyer. Oh and I'm sorry this took longer than I said. But as I mentioned warm weather makes me want to write, and all of that warm weather has vanished quite quickly. READ AND REVIEW. The more reviews, the quicker I update!! (I will still update even without a billion reviews, but reviews give me incentive to write faster for all you awesome reviewers!!)**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. I'm so disappointed with my reviews. I've been getting like ten a chapter lately!! That's crazy! This has over 100 alerts I should be getting more or did people just stop caring and stop reading this?! LET ME KNOW.**

It was one of those moments in a mushy, predictable romance movie – the scene when the two lovers (or in this case, high school students barely acquainted) are leaned in with their heads tilted. The girl (me) draws in a little breath that makes her lower lip quiver, and the guy locks eyes with her every moment until their lips actually touch. How cliché? I know, terrible. But I was so caught up in what his lips would feel like, or how he might run his fingers through my hair – which is why I hardly hesitated to lean in, slowly, until I could feel his cool breath on my face. I closed my eyes and his lips brushed mine shyly and I could feel his posture shift as he prepared to kiss me fully.

Rinnggggg.

And then his cell phone rang.

He stayed leaned in for a moment, unsure if he should just ignore the call and kiss me anyway. Half of me thought it would be awkward if he kissed me now. The other half was begging that he threw his phone out of the window. After that long second, I felt him inch away, and I opened my eyes and found him sinking back into his seat. He rubbed his eyes wearily and pulled his phone from his pocket. He sighed, almost resigned, and flicked open his phone.

"Yes, Edward?" I could hardly hear the bitterness in his voice.

I had no control over the scowl that formed on my face. It was awful enough that my perfect movie-theatre kiss was ruined, but out of the billions of people in the world, it was, naturally, Edward.

"No, we're not at the store yet."

I rolled my neck so I was now facing the window. I could feel the inevitable awkwardness creeping over me. I knew I was blushing, and was glad that Jasper was preoccupied with Edward.

"You already informed us you need bread and garlic powder." He paused. "Yea, I'm positive. I'm going to go now. Is there anything else?" Another pause. "Okay, goodbye." His phone snapped shut. I heard him put the keys back into the ignition and start the engine. We had been pulled over on the side of the road (I hadn't realized he had done this until I noticed he wasn't driving).

I kept staring out of my window. Mortified. He didn't say anything, so I was startled when I felt his finger brush along my cheek.

"Do you believe it might be possible that your face will stay stained with that lovely pink? I'm sure you're more often blushing than not."

I turned my head back toward him to see him smiling a small smile. I found myself staring, instead of responding. At this his smile broadened.

"I guess I'll have to find out on my own." He ran his finger once more down to my jaw line, and let his hand fall, catching mine. "May I?" His smile was small again. I nodded wordlessly, and let him entwine our fingers together. He looked me softly in the eyes and then turned back to the road. I looked up and saw that we had arrived at the miniscule (and otherwise nondescript) supermarket. He managed to get a rather good parking space, in the constantly over-crowded parking lot. He loosened his grip on my hand, and I released his to undo my seatbelt. Instantaneously, he arrived at my door, opening it for me and offering me his hand. I took it, but I couldn't help looking over my shoulder. What if someone saw us and told Jenn? What if they told _anyone?_ I decided to move my thoughts from worries that were probably needless. Instead I focused on not falling on not my face. I'm going to avoid as much humiliation as possible around Jasper.

He swayed our hands a little. I haven't figured out how we managed to hold hands. He is so much taller than me. I looked upward to guess how much taller he really was, and I caught him looking down at me fondly. He looked away, and I did too, so he wouldn't catch the endearing smile on my lips. The knots in my stomach hadn't left since I first got them in the car, and they didn't appear to be leaving any time soon. But somehow they felt less restraining, almost like butterflies rather than ropes. I felt lighter, bouncier, bubblier. And I was hoping desperately that I didn't have some goofy smile on my face.

I couldn't help but think about how sweet he was. How on earth is he related to Edward? And being around him is so calming. I breathe easier. I feel more secure. And I know I'm rushing into things with someone I don't even know, but I feel like he understands me. Like I don't need to tell him anything, or explain, because he feels what I'm feeling. I've never had that before, other than with my mother, and maybe… Jenn.

I sighed as I felt the guilt coming back to me. Jenn would never do anything like this to me. I have to tell her soon. Better sooner than later, when things get too out of hand.

Jasper was looking at me, I could feel it. Probably concerned about why I was sighing. I didn't look back up at him – I was afraid that he would know my guilt as soon as he got a good look at me. So I just kept walking along as if nothing was wrong. I absently held the basket as Jasper threw things in.

I felt my hand drop as he let go. I didn't realize how much I had been leaning on him but I felt my body slouch without him carrying part of my weight. I looked towards him to see why he had let go of my hand.

Wait, where did he go?

I looked up and down the isle, but he wasn't there. I was a little dumb founded. Why would he just leave me? And where did he go?

I continued down the isle, perplexed, half expecting him to jump out from behind a box of cereal as some cruel joke.

I sauntered down the isle slowly and hesitantly, getting a little mad at the fact that he just abandoned me in a grocery store. I stopped walking and just stood with my arms crossed, tapping my foot. He kisses me (well almost), and then leaves me stranded? If he already left with the car I have no way to get home! Maybe I shouldn't have trusted him. Maybe he had Jenn and I both fooled. Maybe...

"Bella?"

I whipped my head in the direction of the voice, glaring – because if it was Jasper he was going to regret just walking off.

"Geez, what'd I do?" Mike asked, putting his hands up as if in surrender. I sighed, letting the tension in my face relax.

"Nothing. Sorry." I ran a frustrated hand through my hair.

"What's up?" he asked, mildly concerned. He put his hands in his pockets.

"It's nothing. I just can't find-" I stopped myself before I said his name. Could I trust Mike not to say anything about me being at the store with Jasper? I mean, it's not really a big deal, but did I want Mike to know? What would Mike think? "-the Fruit Roll Ups." I finished, reaching up to grab a box. "Got 'em."

"You hate Fruit Roll Ups." Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm…" I stumbled over my words. Lying is not one of my talents. "They're for Jenn."

"Oh. What's all that stuff for?" He looked pointedly at the basket on my arm.

"Just dinner."

"That's a lot of food. What are you making?"

"Chicken parmesan and stuffed ravioli. And salad and garlic bread."

"Why so much?" He looked skeptical. "Do you have guests or something?"

"Uhm well, not exactly. You see-"

I felt a hand on the small of my back and I jumped a little.

"It's just me Bella. Got the bread."

I looked back and Jasper had the bread in his hand.

"You abandoned me to get bread?" I said each word slowly, doing my best to convey my anger. I was in a bit of disbelief that he would actually do that. What kind of gentleman just walks away from someone to get bread?! Does he have multi-personality disorder or something? Kind and thoughtful or careless and rude?

"I didn't abandon you. I told you where I was going."

"What? No you didn't. You were standing next to me holding my hand and the next second you were gone!"

"Bella, honey," he raised a finger and stroked my cheek. "I promise you, I told you that I was going to get the bread, and that I would be back in a minute."

I looked up into his liquid eyes, and I couldn't find anything untrustworthy. I exhaled, almost sighing. "Okay." I blushed a little, embarrassed that I had jumped to conclusions so quickly.

We stood for a moment, his finger on my cheek, my eyes melting into his, until Mike made a coughing noise.

Embarrassed, again, I slowly turned away from Jasper

.

"Oh, uhm, this is Jasper Hale, and Jasper this is-"

Jasper reached out his hand "Mike, right?"

Mike put his hand out too, and shook his. "Yeah. Hey." I could tell he wasn't happy about this. His mouth and eyebrows were in straight lines and his jaw was hard, even as he spoke. It wasn't flattering at all how obviously jealous he was. It made the situation even more awkward and made me feel even more guilty about everything. Jasper and I have yet to know each other a full day and the world has already plotted against us!

My luck – it never seems to fail.

Perhaps associating with Jasper was a bad idea. Right now, that appeared to be a very likely possibility.

"So…" I said awkwardly.

"Why are you at the store with Bella?" Mike asked. It would have been a perfectly normal inquisition if he hadn't said it so coldly. And even though he spoke so uncouthly Jasper still answered in a pleasant manner, as usual.

"We were just picking up some ingredients for dinner this evening. We'd be glad for you to join, if that's alright with Bella." I saw Jasper eye me, knowing already that I was against the idea. But he was trying to speak with his eyes – trying to tell me that it would be impolite not to allow Mike to come. I suppressed a sigh and an eye roll.

"Yeah, of course. You want to come?" I refrained from wincing as I tried to figure out how everyone would fit in my small, cramped, house.

"Sure. Want some help cooking?" I could tell his reason for offering help wasn't at all genuine. He probably figured that if he helped cook, he could keep an eye on Jasper.

"Uhm, I think we got cooking covered. Edward's waiting for us back at my house so-"

Rinnnggggggg.

"Speak of the devil." I heard Jasper say under his breath, half smiling. He opened his phone. "Hello Edward."

Did Edward always call this frequently?

"Yes, we have everything. We just ran into Mike Newton. He's going to be eating with us." He paused, listening to Edward. "Perhaps we should have dinner at our house?" Jasper raised an eyebrow to me, asking for my consent. I nodded, grateful. We never would have fit everyone in my house. And if we had somehow managed the impossible, we would have been compressed like tuna in a can. "Will you call and ask Esme and Carlisle please?" Another pause. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it. Especially Esme. You know how she is." At this he smiled, like it was some small inside joke. "Well Bella and I will head straight to our house from the store, and settle the plans with Mike. Make sure you bring the chicken and whatever materials we brought over. " He paused again. "I'll get more. There's no way we have enough for nine. Well ten – if you compensate for Emmett's appetite." Jasper chuckled. "Okay, should we plan to have dinner at seven?" A short silence. "Mhmm. Well I'm going to finish shopping. We will be back at the house by quarter of six. Goodbye."

He closed his phone. "So what's going on?" Mike asked. I noticed he had pushed up his sleeves to show his toned forearm. I'll admit that Mike isn't half bad, but Jasper is wearing a short sleeved shirt, showing off his far more muscled arms.

"We're going to have dinner at my house. Bella and I will head there directly from here, but you could arrive around seven?"

It was evident that Mike would much rather stick around, but I guess he had a limit (though, they must be very generous limits) to how obvious he could be. "Yeah. Sure. I could bring dessert?"

"That would be great." I said, faking a smile. This was getting more awkward by the second. I just want to finish the shopping, cook the food, and disappear before the unthinkably uncomfortable dinner.

"Alright, see you then Bells." Uhm, Bells? I hardly even let Charlie get away with calling me that.

Mike walked toward me and opened his arms for a hug.

I had stopped all hugging between Mike and I when we had broken up. It was so incredibly weird to hug him now, knowing that he still likes me. However, I sucked it up and gave him a hug. But when he began running his hand up and down my back I pulled away, giving him a stern look. His expression was sheepish, and I'm sure mine was disgusted, because I couldn't even begin to fathom the idea that he was trying to make Jasper jealous. I looked over toward Jasper, and by the looks of it, Mike was doing a good job.

"Well uh, I think we have to get going. It's got to be close to 5:30 already." Leave, leave, leave, I pleaded mentally.

"Yeah." Mike scratched the back of his head. "I have to get home for a little. My world history teacher gave us homework." He rolled his eyes at his teacher's unreasonableness. I almost never receive homework on the first day. "I should get that done before I go. Oh, and where's your house?"

"Well I don't think the address will do you much good. It's very secluded…" I didn't bother to listen to the rest – I would just confuse myself. If I had been Mike, I probably would have wound up in another state, no matter how accurate and detailed the directions.

Next thing I knew, Mike was waving goodbye, and Jasper had reached for my hand and I felt the uneasy situation fade into a memory.

We returned to our original peacefulness, and I found myself leaning on him again. He continued to throw things into the basket that I held, and I managed not to trip.

When we reached the poultry section he grabbed four pieces of chicken, because we needed ten, and we had six at my house. I counted the people in my head and nudged Jasper.

"We need one more. For Charlie."

"Oh, right." He chuckled. I think he felt stupid for forgetting my father. It was impossible not to turn to mush when Jasper blushed. His cheeks got a little pink, and I could picture Jasper ten years younger. I smiled at the mental picture, he had been adorable, I could tell.

"How much would Charlie want?"

"Hmm?" I hadn't quite heard him, I suppose I had been gawking at him again.

"Charlie. How much do you think he'll want?"

"Uhm, I'm not sure. We should just grab a six pack just to be safe." He nodded absently and placed a pack in the basket after observing it carefully. I'd been sufficiently surprised with his knowledge of cooking. He'd known all the spices and the best kinds of tomato paste. He seemed to be fairly familiar with the kitchen, which I couldn't say for any other guy I knew. I'm actually pretty curious what Mike is planning to do for desert. He, like any typical guy, considers take-out pizza as cooking.

"That looks kind of heavy. Would you like me to carry it?" He pointed at the basket.

"No, I'm fine." I lied. What had exactly put in this thing? Weights? But I didn't want to add him to the list of people who thought that I couldn't take care of myself, just because of my size.

But I felt the basket slide of my arm and my body get at least fifteen pounds lighter.

I looked up at him, a slight pout on my face, and he smiled. "You're a terrible liar." At this I pouted more, and he began laughing.

"It is _not_ funny." I tried to stay serious, but I already knew that lying isn't one of my strong suits, and I found myself laughing a little too.

We finished our shopping in the same easy-going manner and headed back out to the car. We must look like quite the odd pair. He's tall and beautiful and I'm short and average.

I looked up to admire him from the corner of my eye. I couldn't prevent the jealousy I felt. Not just of Jasper – but of his whole family. They were all unbelievably beautiful. I wonder what Carlisle and Esme look like. Gorgeous, no doubt.

And though I felt comfortable, and even more complete with Jasper around, I was still so insecure – especially around him.

I turned my gaze back to my own two feet before he could catch me staring, and before I could fall over my over feet. We were at the car now. I walked to the passenger side, and even though he was carrying all of the bags, he still opened the door for me. While he put the groceries in the trunk I looked around his car a little more. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the glove box – the car's registration and manual, and some napkins.

I heard the trunk close, and quickly closed the glove compartment. There wasn't much else to observe – he kept the car completely spotless and had a strawberry air freshener. Nothing else stuck out, really. Other than a random paper clip on the sun visor.

Jasper got into the car and started it up. He looked me in the eyes again, leaned in, and laid a light kiss on my forehead.

**Authors note: Next chapter will have the dinner… and drama! Yay for alliterations! Haha.**

**Please review. If you want an update (quickly) review review review!! Good? Bad? **Let me know!! Please! :

Really… REVIEW. For a story with 65 favorites and over 100 alerts, I should be getting way more than ten reviews a chapter.


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